Archives for December 2012

B>E>A>K> from Sunderland

It's New Year's Eve so this last mixtape of 2012 brings you one final selection of artists we recommend following in the coming year - yours to keep from 3am today via the 6 Music Downloads Page. All of these bands and songwriters have been featured on the BBC Introducing Mixtape this year and if there's any justice in the world, a good many of these songwriters and bands will break through to a wider audience in 2013.

But in some ways future fame is beside the point. We think all these artists - together with those featured on my end-of-year Saturday show - will be worth following on purely musical grounds, regardless of how well the music industry treats them. Some are certainly celebrities in the making - but most are simply driven by a mission to make their own uncompromising music and see where it leads them.

Our mission at BBC Introducing is simple: to connect listeners with new music and musicians with new listeners. These 19 tunes represent only a fraction of the recordings we've enjoyed over the past year in all their wild diversity - fast, furious, fun, funky, fuzzy, hifi, lofi, bleak, uplifting, oddball and tender - from the sparse and spiky to the lushly orchestrated - and all points in between. We hope you'll subscribe to our download and join us for more musical adventures in the year ahead.

CENTREFOLDS - Fresh Air [start: 00:13]
https://www.facebook.com/centrefoldshq
Centrefolds have appeared at Glastonbury festival, tour with major national bands, received major national airplay and Release The Hounds featured as the soundtrack to ITV's 'JP Morgan Premiership Rugby 7's Highlights'Among the many nods to the quality of Centrefolds’ music is the fact another of their tracks – Release the Hounds – was chosen as the soundtrack to ITV’s 7’s rugby coverage. High praise indeed! You can hear more from the lads on their myspace page, or see them live at Moles in Bath on January 24th.

BIRD - Shadows [start: 04:17]
https://facebook.com/birdmusicofficial
There have been lineup changes with our friends Bird up in Liverpool, but the sound of the new three piece lineup is more distinctive than ever, featuring frontwoman Adele Emmas plus guitarist Sian Williams and Alexis Samata on drums. Dave Monks from legendary radio show The Pool (now more prosaically renamed BBC Introduicng In Merseyside) remains a longstanding supporter of the band. They released their first EP Phantoms on Jack To Phono last November of 2011 and Shadows is the title track of their followup EP released this month. And on a personal note, meeting them at Abbey Road was one of my highlights from the BBC Introducing Masterclass in January of this year

THE RAILWAY CLUB - Broken Strings [start: 07:26]
https://www.therailwayclub.co.uk
Originally a sideproject for Martin Trollope and Grant Lagan from The Union Choir, the Railway Club's steady rise through the Sunderland music scene continues apace. They followed up a strong set at Spllt Transmission last September with a performance at the main festival itself, before signing to Gateshead's Tiny Lights Recordings - home to The Lake Poets and O'Messy Life. Taken from their debut album this excellent single came out on July 9th.

CHRIS SELMAN - Modern Romance [start: 10:46]
https://chrisselman.co.uk
Songwriter Chris Selman is based 'up north' - splitting his time between Leeds and Manchester. 'Modern Romance' is the second single from his album ALL OR NOTHING which was released through iTunes last July. It has a funny black & white silent-movie-style video, and I'd also recommend checking out Chris's recently released Christmas-themed EP via his website.

RODEO TERRORISTS - Chill Rex [start: 13:08]
https://facebook.com/RodeoIceStation
Richard & Mike aka Rodeo Terrorists play around with synthesisers, loops and things that make funny squelchy noises, the result of which are tunes that they quite like. In the summer of 2006 the Rodeo Terrorists got their first computer, it was raining. They got drunk and discovered the simple joys of audio recording. By the mid 80's they were leading a charmed life of singing in a choir, playing the piano and bassoon, while programming sequencers and their Yamaha DX-7. Somewhere along the line they got lost in that field in Hampshire, their jeans went baggy and hair grew long. Finding an abandoned BOSS Dr. Rhythm DR-550 drum machine in a charity shop & overnight they became full time techno ravers. Inspired by the KLF, The Orb, Chicane and 808:State, they aspire to having their music played in a lift or local supermarket but realise that such commercial success would go to their heads and undermine the fundamentally amateur nature of their endeavour. When amateurism is as good as this, who needs professionals?

REBEKAH DELGADO - Little Boy Blue [start: 17:21]
https://rebekah-delgado.com
We first came acrosss the work of Rebekah Delgado in April with a song from her newly-released EP Sing You Through The Storm, from which we included Trying To Forget on the mixtape in June. Like the artist herself, her website is tri-lingual with Castillian Spanish and French options. This is the title track from her recent EP released in October this year and followed a week later by her debut album Don't Sleep. One to watch in 2013

WEIRD SHAPES - Clouds [start: 19:52]
https://facebook.com/weirdshapes
I like Dan Spooner, I like Weird Shapes and - as mentioned earlier in the year on this blog - I like this song. For me, it’s the finest thing we’ve heard from the band to date and you can hear its wonderful poise and texture for yourself on this week's Mixtape. Best of all was the band blurb Dan sent us to go with the music: "Beeb people!" he cries "We work bloody hard making music in and around our horrific day time jobs. All our relationships are strained to breaking point due to the seemingly endless amounts of money and time we put into this band. We’d be dead, dead chuffed if you played our music as it would go some of the way to excusing our selfish, musicianlike behavior in the eyes of our Wives & Girlfriends!" Sorry to bang on about this but this is exactly the kind of biog my recent BBC Introducing blog post was inciting other bands to try and write.

YELLOWIRE - All Said & Done [start: 23:08]
https://www.yellowire.co.uk
Ol Beach formed Yellowire in 2010. Since then they’ve performed at HMV's Next Big Thing, Isle of Wight Festival, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park, Latitude festival and Reading and Leeds festival, toured across the UK, Europe and more recently in the US (Nashville no less). All Said & Done was released in July, consolidating the success of their 2011 debut album, Machines on Fire. As yet, they have no gigs confirmed for 2013.

OF ARROWE HILL - Damned [start: 26:23]
https://www.facebook.com/pages/of-Arrowe-Hill/237350516280497
In June 2010 a New York listener recommended a song called “You, The Night & Père Lachaise” which I liked so much we ended up playing it four times that year. OF ARROWE HILL – named for an area of Woodchurch on The Wirral – were formed in London in May 1999. Fans have ranged from John Peel to Julian Cope – and with, rave reviews for their fifth album and a sixth due in Spetember, the whole project – fronted by Adam Easterbrook – has taken on a whole new lease of life. I'd also recommend their six minute single ‘The Stars Are Against Us’ which was released on Ouija Board Records in July 2012.

THOM MORECROFT - Sexy Shade of Sunburn [start: 28:55]
https://facebook.com/ThomMorecroftMusic
Thom Morecroft is not just a short, excitable, and scruffy young man from Shropshire. He is also a fine addition to a growing cannon of Liverpool-based songwriters whose extensive body of original work has earned him a solid local reputation. In 2012, Thom featured on the hour-long Folkscene with Stan Ambrose on BBC Radio Merseyside, and was also included on this show. Now 22, he regularly plays live and has recently joined forces with singer Elle Schillereff, percussionist Chris Cousineau and guitarist James Baxter. Thom released his new album on December 1st.

NATASHA HAWS - Stranger [start: 30:18]
https://www.facebook.com/HawBagHaws
Following the release of her début EP in May, Natasha Haws' first single, Stranger, was released in November 2012. Now signed to Tiny Lights Recordings, Stranger is a step towards a grander, more sophisticated sound for Natasha. The track will be available to download, as well as on limited edition CD. Since beginning to write her own music a year ago, she has gigged around the country and racked up support slots with acts such as The Futureheads, Stephen Fretwell, Lucy Rose, Willy Mason and Karima Francis (after only two performances).

B>E>A>K - Kehaar [start: 33:43]
https://facebook.com/beaksunderland
(Pictured above) Hatched in Sunderland in 2005 and revered as one of the North-East’s most vibrant and entertaining live bands, B>E>A>K consist of a group of experienced local musicians all heavily involved in the region’s music scene. The band includes members of bands such as Coal Train, Field Music, Razmataz Lorry Excitement, This Aint Vegas, Boxed Roomer & The Lake Poets - with some live shows featuring guest appearances from members of Maximo Park. You can get hold of their music for free via their bandcamp page. Not to be confused with Geoff Barrow's similarly-monikered Bristol outfit BEAK>

GOLDEN FABLE - Sugarloaf [start: 37:20]
https://www.goldenfable.com
Golden Fable are Tim McIver and Rebecca Palin who were the driving force behind multi-instrumental cult group Tim and Sam’s Tim and the Sam Band. After a heavy UK wide touring schedule over three years, major festival appearances, a highly acclaimed album and many radio sessions, the duo decided that it was time for the charming innocence of Tim and Sam to grow up - Golden Fable was born. Holed up in their studio retreat in North Wales, they surfaced only after dozens of songs had been whittled down to an LP that was released earlier this year Since touring with Field Music, Golden Fable have recorded a session for Marc Riley, played a lovely gig at Kraak Gallery in Manchester and started to be creative again in the studio. They’re about support Wave Machines, starting with a date at Moles in Bath on January 31st.

WILLIE DICK - Baby Dying [start: 40:49]
https://williedick.com
Film-maker and musician Willie Dick describes himself as ‘a vagabond creating musical and visual mayhem with contact mics, meat cleavers and a butchers block’. He goes onto to say he weaves stories ‘of pain and mistrust - the final war cry of a man tittering on the edge of sanity’. Crikey! He's not kidding either, as you can experience for yourself by heading to his website and watching any of his highly disturbing (and - unsurprisingly - expertly made) videos. Or indeed by downloading any of the seven free songs on offer there.

MARY CIGARETTES - Middle Class White Trash Ways [start: 43:19]
https://soundcloud.com/marycigarettes
The pure vocal tones and unflinchingly truthful lyrics of one of my longstanding favourite singers, the enigmatic Mary Cigarettes. 30 years ago, Gregory Gray was the young frontman for Irish band The Perfect Crime. In his present day renaissance as Ms Cigarettes, he tells us his only calling card "is a lifelong passion for writing and recording." You'll find many more of his beautiful songs - all available as free downloads - and links to various videos on his Soundcloud page.

ELLIOTT MORRIS - Stand Up, Be Heard [start: 46:59]
https://elliottmorris.co.uk
Based in Lincolnshire, guitar virtuoso Elliott Morris (see photo above) is a longstanding friend of BBC Introducing on 6 Music. He's set to release two new EPs and embark on an extensive tour across the UK and Ireland this Autumn. This high energy track Stand Up, Be Heard comes from his recent 4-track studio EP As The Waves Came In and features his equally talented younger brother Bevan on drums. Also released on the same date in September - to coincide with a five-week string of live dates - was a special live acoustic EP called Take One. Videos for both tracks can be seen on his YouTube channel while you'll find upcoming 2013 dates for this outstanding performer on his main website.

VASCO DA GAMA - Them Teeth [start: 50:42]
https://facebook.com/vascodagamalive
Having been the first to recommend them when he interned with us last Summer, Team Freshnet’s Chris Chadwick will be glad to see Vasco Da Gama on my end-of-year Mixtape here. They describe themselves as a "Liverpool four-piece creating a dynamic and unpredictable racket, incorporating Latin rhythm and pop sensibility into the math-rock sound of 1990s Chicago and Washington DC." Personally I wouldn’t know 1990′s math-rock if it bit me in the leg but this track won me over within seconds at the Listening Post. You might imagine on first listen that its appeal lies in the aforementioned racket – all spacious guitar lines and spiky minimal drums, but for me it’s all about the vocals. The strangely memorable melody, peculiarly haunting lyrics and immaculate falsetto harmonies. This band could stand on a stage, sing this acapella and still bring the house down.

THE DAYDREAM CLUB - Neon Love Song (Part II) [start: 53:43]
https://www.thedaydreamclub.com
THE DAYDREAM CLUB are Adam Pickering and Paula Walker who first met while studying at LIPA in Liverpool before settling in Leicestershire and selfreleasing their debut album ‘OVERGROWN’ in November 2010, with huge support from Dean Jackson's legendary East Midlands Introducing show The Beat. Earlier this year the video for their single On The Move Part II took 50 balloons, 30 party poppers, 2 days of thinking backwards - and just one take - to make. This 2012 single was also part of a certain clothing company's Summer 2012 Eyewear ad campaign, which we hope brought them to a wider audience as well as helping finance their future releases in 2013

CRUSHINGBLOWS - The People You Will Never Meet [start: 57:58]
https://crushingblows.bandcamp.com
We first came across Crushing Blows in 2010 when Steve Lamacq introduced us to their track "Tie Them Down And Get The Answers". Based in South Derbyshire the duo consists of Chris Jones and Hurricane Andrew who modestly described themselves at the time as "two men and a looper". Since then their sound has continued to flourish and grow - stately, ambitious and atmospheric, The People You Will Never Meet builds to a terriffic climax - and was released as a single in July this year as a free download from their Bandcamp. We look forward to more music from this exciting duo in the course of 2013.

Free Swim (with bassist Yolanda The Panda)



It's Christmas Eve so for this week's mixtape we bring you an hour of seasonal songs - and from 3am today they're yours to keep via the 6 Music Downloads Page - our small seasonal gift, made possible by the generosity of the artists concerned. And so onto the vexed subject of Christmas Singles - of which said mixtape entirely consists.

To declare an interest, in childhood I sang in my local church choir - briefly rising to the dizzy heights of Head Chorister before my voice broke in the early 1960s. So although smartphones, social media and adventurous new artists very much float my boat, in some areas I'm still a traditionalist. My idea of a Christmas soundtrack has always been more Carols From King's than seasonal cash-ins by the likes of Slade, Wizzard and Wham!

But there's no getting away from it: Christmas Singles are now a permanent part of the UK's musical landscape, and this year it seemed like every emerging artist in the land had decided to make one. My colleague Mar De Miguel at our Fresh On The Net blog rashly put out a request for seasonally-themed songs and by early December had already received well over three hundred for her Christmas Day special.

For this mixtape, I had to listen - with gritted teeth - to every single track uploaded to BBC Introducing in the last three months that had "Christmas" in the title. Imagine! And yet buried in that vast sugary snowdrift of clichéd sleighbells and schlock sentimentality, there were nineteen gems that I actually liked very much. Some of them funny, some cynical, some genuinely affecting… and some so silly and strange they were simply irresistible. Yes, Lynne Butler with your Yodelling Christmas Song, I'm talking about you.

Have a cool Yule everybody and we'll be back next week with a small selection of the many Introducing artists we think you should look out for in 2013.

FREE SWIM - A Rip Roaring Christmas [start 0:13]
https://www.facebook.com/freeswimswimfree
Free Swim is one of Paul Coltofeanu’s two musical incarnations. The other, Android Angel, is what will be preoccupying him in early 2013 as he releases a new album, 'Lie Back & Think of England', which Paul tells us was inspired by his recent travels through Eastern Europe. Then, later in the Spring, Free Swim returns with a 5th EP; the 4th is currently available for download via his bandcamp page, as is this festive offering.

HOLLY AND THE WOLF - Marzipan Reindeer [start 04:28]
https://www.hollyandthewolf.com
Friends of ours and others on 6 Music (The Hawk has already given this festive gem a couple of spins), Holly and the Wolf are Holly Dearden (vocals and piano), Robbie Jarvis (drums) and Alex Karban (double-bass). Marzipan Reindeer follows the release of their debut single, Holding Me Back, and is the title track of a new digitally-available EP. I highly recommend you watch the Tony Johnson animated video that accompanies it, which has already garnered over thirty-thousand hits via YouTube and the DailyMotion.

SIDE SHOW - Cashing in on Christmas [start 07:13]
https://www.facebook.com/SideShowUK
From Southport, Side Show are a crew of wild young things that pride themselves on putting the fun into punk. They have released 2 EPs and 2 singles, of which this is the most recent, and are also hard-working regulars on the gig circuit, performing in places as far-afield as Birmingham, Manchester, Carlisle and Penrith. Festivals, they tell us, are the order of 2013.

KARIINA GRETERE - Twas The Night Before Christmas [start 9:25]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoymPut7ME0
https://www.kariina.com
Kariina is a Latvian-British singer-songwriter and composer. Predisposed to Baltic gloom and artistic multiplicity, she draws her influences from The Cocteau Twins, Jeff Buckley, Joni Mitchell and Arvo Pärt - among many, many others. Her solo EP 'Bittersweet' was released in 2010, while her latest project sounds very intriguing. Entitled ‘Amber & Fly’, it’s a medley of introspects and magic realism involving fossilised insects, Joan of Arc and a hit-man. The video for Twas The Night Before Christmas can be viewed on YouTube.

BOYDZOID - Christmas Carol [start 13:48]
https://www.soundcloud.com/boidzoid
Boydzoid is the pseudonym (an old nickname, in fact) of Suffolk denizen, Dan Hayden. A long-time guitarist, Dan started making beats earlier this year, having been introduced to the wonders of technology by producer-slash-housemate, Scarf Face (genius!). He is currently working on an EP and regularly updates his soundcloud page, should you wish to hear more of his work.

JACEN BRUCE - Christmas and New Year [start 15:38]
https://www.jacenbruce.com
Jacen is a musician who keeps himself busy. As well as recording the UK and US (including a session at Sun Studios with the late Paul Burlison), he has TV and radio credits on Day and Night, The Trisha Show, Radio Caroline, Heart FM and Radio 1, among others. His trademark style is a fusion of country and rockabilly, as you’ll find out if you can make it Cafe Rouge in Bury St Edmunds on December 31st. If you can’t, a comprehensive list of his forthcoming gigs is available on his website.

THE OTHER GUYS - Christmas Gets Worse Every Year [start 18:18]
https://www.otherguys.co.uk
The Other Guys were formed in 2004 by a group of students from St. Andrews to bring American collegiate a cappella to the UK. In 2011, the group 'shot to fame' when they released Royal Romance, a video and song to mark the wedding of two of the University of St. Andrews' finest Alumni, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Since then they have recorded two albums, Barely Regal and Christmas, and released a charity single entitled St. Andrews Girls. With Christmas Gets Worse Every Year, they intended to get to Christmas Number 1, receiving support from Steven Fry and Colin Montgomerie amongst others. At time of writing, all I can tell you with regards to their efforts is that the song has had over 100,000 views on YouTube

LAURENCE MADE ME CRY - You Can't Have Christmas, It's Mine [start 22:56]
https://www.laurencemademecry.com
The artist behind this project is multi-instrumentalist Jo Whitby - a West Country girl making roots in the Welsh capital Cardiff. She is currently busy recording ‘The Diary of Me’, an album exploring the dialogue we all have with our individual inner voice, with various collaborators in and outside the UK. ‘The Diary of Me’ will be released on March 11th.

LEANIE & THE XMAS FACTORS - Cardboard Christmas [start 27:33]
https://www.leanie.com
Léanie Kaleido is a pint-sized purveyor of folk-pop. Daughter of Top Topham, original Yardbirds lead-guitarist, she released her début album 'Karamelién' in 2006, which was well-received in both the local and national press. For this, a one-off project, she enlisted the help of Joolz Dunkley, Chris Goddard and Arthur, aged 2, on guest vocals. The video is on YouTube. Léanie is currently finishing her second album and plans to release it next year, when she'll be back on the gig circuit to promote it.

THE FAM L E - Happy Christmas Haters [start 30:30]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf-ou1J3aig
The FAM L E is a collective of 4 individuals who go by the names of MLE, Callum Crowley, Bam Bam & PaDANtic. They are based in South Wales and were the brainchild of MLE (real name Emily Bates). To date, they have produced a variety of solo & collaborative studio tracks, with their first, &-track EP available for download now. The EP was recorded in MLE’s living room, affectionately known as Studio 23.

OF ARROWE HILL - Christmas Distance [start 33:55]
https://www.facebook.com/ofarrowehill
Written & recorded on Christmas Day 2011, Of Arrowe Hill's 'Christmas Distance' is mainman Adam Easterbrook's first - and only - foray into the murky world of the Christmas Single. You can view the accompanying poignant (if rather morbid) promo film online, while the song itself the song is the closing track on the most recent OAH album: Love Letters, Hate Mail & The Haunted Self. Not only have we played tracks from it on 6 music Introducing but Mojo magazine described it as "lo-fi basement psychedelia of a spectral hue" and awarded it four well-deserved stars.

FALLINGHAM FAIR - Think Of It As Christmas [start 36:29]
https://www.facebook.com/fallinghamfair
Fallingham Fair are a three-part-harmony folk trio comprising Fred Claridge, Aoife McCauley and Tim Gilvin - who is no stranger to my Introducing shows on 6 Music. They formed in 2010 in Birmingham off the back of a string of collaborative gigs, and recorded their self-released debut album Fallingham Fair in 2011. After a year of playing a lot of diverse shows (Wychwood Festival, New Roots Folk Festival, Camden Rock) and release of the single "Luck", the band will kick-off 2013 by recording a second album. A not-to-be-missed documentary following their Laundrette Sessions - 3 gigs in 3 laundrettes in 3 cities in 1 day – is also due for release in January.

SWAMP DUCK - Duckin' Out Of Christmas [start 40:26]
https://www.swampduckmusic.co.uk/
Canterbury-based Swamp Duck have produced two albums. Their debut, Quack of Dawn, was recorded in 2008. Early copies of the CD were coloured in by the band members during gig intervals. The new album, Quacking Up, from which this track is taken, is currently at the printers. Expect nothing more for them in the very short-term, as bassist-cum-engineer Snave Dave is on paternity leave!

CORNELIA BROWN - Christmas For Everyone [start 43:23]
https://www.corneliabrown.net
Cornelia Brown (known to friends and family as Neli) is an unsigned Christian singer and songwriter based in Devon. Christmas For Everyone comes from her third and latest album Freedom - which was released earlier this month and is available from her website. It follows on from her earlier full-length releases Friends in 2010 and Multimesc in 2008.

LIFE IN A BLENDER - Hey, Christmas [start 46:12]
https://www.lifeinablender.net
For over 25 years, Life in a Blender has been the canvas for singer / songwriter Don Ralph's blackly comic landscapes. The group has released seven albums ranging from screaming punk to orchestrated chamber pop, and has brought the high theatrics of its live act to stages from Berlin to Austin to Toronto to Brooklyn and Seattle. Don Ralph formed the band with high school friend Dave Moody (then bassist, now cellist), and within a couple of years had acquired the drumming services of Ken Meyer. Guitarist Al Houghton and bassist Mark Lerner joined in 1992, while violinist Rebecca Weiner Tompkins signed on in 1993.

JESS MORGAN - Christmas Eve [start 50:11]
https://www.jessmorgan.co.uk
Jess is a singer-songwriter who is steadily building a name for herself among the roots and folk community. Recorded with musical friends and collaborators in Bergen, Norway, Jess self-released her debut album, ‘All Swell’, to notable acclaim in 2010. Since then, she has played regular shows in Norway, Germany and Holland. At home Jess has earned her place supporting with the likes of First Aid Kit, Chris Wood and Megson and well as playing at clubs and venues up and down the UK. Jess released her second album ‘Aye Me’ in the Spring of 2012, which was championed by our very own Steve Lamacq. Over the past couple of months, Jess has been promoting a video EP featuring live intimate performances of her songs filmed at 'Old Merchants House' on Great Yarmouth's historic South Quay.

FLEECE - The Banks Have Stolen Christmas [start 53:47]
https://soundcloud.com/fleecerock
Fleece describe themselves as "a Welsh/Irish/Dutch combo of semi-employed musicians based in County Leitrim in the Northwest of Ireland". As well as being the most under-populated county in the country, Leitrim is also - they tell us - a musical wilderness and it is in this environment that "Fleecerock" was born. Unfortunately, in the current economic climate, gigs are rare. So rather than performing live, word is that they're hunkering down in their Fleece-lined bunker "writing and recording multi-genre songs of unrequited love, despair and misery (but in a good way)".

TURBO LASER - Sexual Christmas [start 57:29]
https://www.facebook.com/turbolasermusic
Turbo Laser are Chris Wilkinson and Alan Matthews, a tongue-in-cheek rock / metal duo from Newbury in Berkshire. They have spent the last 2 years recording a self-titled debut album. Featuring 12 tracks of this fair nation’s most masculine music, it is now available digitally. Alternatively, they have free music to download via Soundcloud or stream on Spotify.

LYNNE BUTLER - A Yodelling Christmas Song [start 1:00:37]
https://www.lynnebutler.co.uk
A professional musician since 2004, Lynne has released three previous albums and is currently working on a fourth, due for release summer 2013. Well-known to lovers of bluegrass as an Internet DJ and authority on the genre, she has now, as you can hear, taught herself to yodel. Such is her prowess that she has done a duet with none other than Joe Brown MBE, and also made it onto the Cornbury Festival compilation CD with the Ukulele Club Of Sonning Common. She plans to tour next spring.

In the first hour of my Saturday night show tonight from 9pm we'll we welcoming special guest Akira The Don (above) - like the cheery bearded hiphop Santa Claus that he is - and playing some choice cuts from the latest BBC Introducing Mixtape. Huw Stephens from Radio 1 will also bring us his Penultimate Introducing Tip Of 2012.

But then from 10pm the show will be devoted - with your help - to Songs About Saturday, taken from the following vast list of audio we've managed to source and compile with a little help from our friends:

BIG BILL BROONZY - Saturday Night Rub
BILLY BRAGG - The Saturday Boy
CROWDED HOUSE - Saturday Sun
DAVID BOWIE - Drive In Saturday
DEAD KENNEDYS - Saturday Night Holocaust
DE LA SOUL - A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays
ED SHEERAN - Saturday
ELECTRELANE - Saturday
ELTON JOHN - Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
JOSH ROUSE - Saturday
KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES - Saturday
LAMBCHOP - The Saturday Option
LEYTON BUZZARDS - Saturday Night Behind The Plastic Palm Trees
LOUIS JORDAN - Saturday Night Fish Fry
MASSIVE ATTACK - Saturday Come Slow
MOTT THE HOOPLE - (Do You Remember) The Saturday Gigs
NICK DRAKE - Saturday Sun
OCEANSIZE - Saturday Morning Breakfast Show
OZOMATLI - Saturday Night
R.E.M. - A Month of Saturdays
REEF - Saturday
RICKY LEE JONES - On Saturday Afternoons In 1963
ROY BROWN - Saturday Night
SOULWAX - Saturday
SOUNDGARDEN - Black Saturday
SPARKLEHORSE - Saturday
SUEDE - Saturday Night
THE BLUE NILE - Saturday Night
THE CURE - 10:15 Saturday Night
THE DRIFTERS - Every Nite's a Saturday Night With You
THE JAM - Saturday's Kids
THE MONKEES - Saturday's Child
THE SPECIALS - Friday Night, Saturday Morning
THE UNDERTONES - When Saturday Comes
TOM WAITS - The Heart of Saturday Night
YO LA TENGO - Saturday

Obviously there's far more than two hoursworth of music here, so if you tune in tonight, be sure let us know which ones you'd most like to hear... Text in while we're on air on 64046 (standard network charges apply), tweet us with hashtag #tom6music or just join me on the BBC Radio 6 Music Facebook Page.

See you tonight...

Wild Swim



In the small hours of a Monday morning from 2-3am you can hear a selection of my favourite new tunes compiled into an hour-long mixtape of nonstop music. All the audio is sourced from the BBC Introducing Uploader - some of it recommended by friends and colleagues and some discovered via Twitter and my own Fresh On The Net blog.

From 3am each Monday the latest mixtape is available free via the 6 Music Downloads Page - where you'll also find archived episodes from the previous 4 weeks. All the tracklists and start times for each track are published here - together with a link to each artist's website.

In addition, every Wednesday the mixtape is published on the BBC 6 Music Soundcloud page and added to this page midweek - along with more info about each of the artists. These are the listings for Monday, 17th December 2012

WILD SWIM - Echo [starts 0:13]
https://wildswimmusic.com
Released in November, Echo is the first official single release from these old friends of 6 Music Introducing, the Oxford five-piece, Wild Swim. Produced by Steve Osborne, their music pays homage the likes of James Blake and Arthur Russell. The EP package (available digitally) also includes the ‘Narcissistic’ remix by Cubiq, the electronic side project of band members Jamie Jay and Carlos Posada. With four out of five members still in their teens, Wild Swim originally met and formed the band at school when they were just thirteen. They are now one of BBC Introducing in Oxford’s most hotly tipped bands for 2013.

RAZMATAZLORRYEXCITEMENT - China Town [starts 4:07]
https://www.razmatazlorryexcitement.co.uk
Kev Dosdale - aka Razmataz Lorry Excitement has long been a major musical figure on the Sunderland scene, both as a solo electronic artist and as a member of B>E>A>K and sideman with Field Music. This track is taken from his album If It Takes Me All Night Long, which is available to download for free from the Razmatazlorryexcitment Bandcamp page. Kev's next gig is at The Keys in Middlesbrough tomorrow night, Tuesday December 18th.

WILD SMILES - You're Not Alone [starts 7:47]
https://www.wildsmiles.co.uk
Although Wild Smiles have an online presence, it reveals next to nothing about the band's members, history or the music they make. They must be doing something right, however, as their debut EP has already sold out. You can hear another track from it - called Get Off My Back - at their website. Maybe they should read my Tips On How To Write A Band Biography on the BBC Introducing Blog.

SHOPPING - Santa Monica Place [starts 10:59]
https://soundcloud.com/shoppingband
Andrew, Billy and Rachel decribe themselves as "a queer trio from London. We've been making a racket for 2 months and have 4 songs. Andrew is a novice but the other two are seasoned pros - being former members of Trash Kit, Wetdog and Covergirl" (Ruth Barnes favourites one and all). They just played their first gig at Power Lunches in Hackney, and will be back there this Saturday, December 22nd, for a second effort. The glorious noise that is "Santa Monica Place" is one of only four songs they've written to date, but plenty more are promised in the pipeline for 2013. They also win first prize for The Most Impossible-To-Find-On-Google Band Name Ever - use these links to find them on Facebook and Twitter.

JAKE DOWNS - Seize the Water [starts 13:23]
https://www.jakedowns.co.uk
Jake Downs is an eighteen-year-old Oxford music undergraduate from South Devon. Seize the Water caused a sensation among listeners and readers on my Fresh On The Net blog, romping home as by far the most popular track of the week on our Listening Post there. What's more it's only his first single, released in September, with a B-side entitled The Prince. If you want to hear something fresh and youthful in 2013, keep your eyes and ears open for more music by Jake Downs - though his next official single is not due for release until next summer.

KEVIN PEARCE - Don't Fall Down [starts 18:33]
https://kevinpearce.net
Hailing from Essex, Kevin is another longstanding Fresh On The Net favourite, who likes to be described as a purveyor of ‘ethereal folk’. His debut album Pocket Handkerchief Lane was produced by Dean Honer, who has previously worked with The Human League and Roisin Murphy. It features a blend of natural acoustic sounds, vintage electronic effects and Kevin's distinctive soaring vocal style, heard to good effect on Don't Fall Down.

FLOORBOY - Yellow Roses [starts 21:45]
https://www.youtube.com/floorboy85
With new motivation, new material and a new car, Floorboy is determined that 2013 will be the year he takes over the world - or at least places beyond his East Anglian home. Summer 2012 saw the online release of the "Private Hell" EP and the recording of the "Yellow Roses" EP. He has since performed gigs in Cambridge and London, and is even contemplating a spring tour of Sweden. With support from BBC introducing, Future Radio, West Country Radio and Left Turn 4 Records, the next few months look promising...

REHEARSEDLIVING - Miles [starts 25:01]
https://soundcloud.com/rehearsedliving
Rehearsed Living are an unsigned band from Sheffield, who formed in late 2010. It’s not the first time we’ve played the work of Steven Jones, Simon Jones and Ruth Davies, with Radio Sheffield and Amazing Radio also championing the cause. Everything they write is available for free via SoundCloud.

VINNIE & THE STARS - I’m Not From America, I’m From Hull [starts 29:04]
https://www.vinnieandthestars.com
Vinnie & The Stars have, they claim, created a entirely new genre of music called ‘Hull-Hop’. I have to admit I fell deeply and instantly in love with I’m Not From America, I’m From Hull on first hearing. It's the debut release from the band's forthcoming album Punkological Business, and I'd warmly recommend checking out the splendidly barmy video that goes with this track. Vinnie is currently gigging across Yorkshire, and can also be found hosting regular open mic nights in York every Thursday at The Rose & Crown, and Sunday at The Red Lion. John Peel would have adored this.

THE DEADLINE SHAKES - Dont You Be Too Cool [starts 31:53]
https://www.facebook.com/thedeadlineshakes
Following hot on the heels of The Deadline Shake’s debut single ‘Sweeten the Deal’ (which our very own Steve Lamacq supported) the band have generously made their second single, ‘Don’t You Be Too Cool’, available for free. They are currently recording their debut album which will be preceded by a new single early 2013.

BLUE BALLOON - Fractured Lullaby of Holly Jealous [starts 34:38]
https://blueballoon.bandcamp.com
Having had his head turned by Leonard Cohen, Daniel Johnston and Elliott Smith, Robert Rorison began his career performing quirky acoustic covers of the likes of Prince, The Cure and even Will Smith. He then found his own voice, providing support for luminaries First Aid Kit and Stornoway. Blue Balloon is the nom-de-plume under which he releases his first album, ‘Hearts Are Pretty Heavy’.

LET'S GO SAFARI - Oh Jane Doe [starts 38:42]
https://www.facebook.com/letsgosafari
Let's Go Safari are an indie-pop outfit from the south coast made up of Ryan, Clive, Oli and James. Though formed in 2010, they've only been a four-piece since March. Oh Jane Doe was their first single, which they followed with a second, BYOB (or Bring Your Own Beer) in August. They've been busy establishing a reputation as a live act this year, with their latest outing at the Lord Nelson in Poole last Sunday.

EUAN LYNN - She's So Rad But I'm So Sad [starts 42:04]
https://www.facebook.com/euanlynn
'Like The Ramones dying a futuristic death' (his words), Euan comes from the Northeast and makes punky music using, among other things, a gameboy and a guitar. This track is taken from a four track EP he released in Apri, with all of the songs available for free if you go to his Bandcamp page. His next gig is at the Star and Shadow cinema in Newcastle this coming Saturday December 22nd. Longstanding listeners may remember Euan's big brother Calum as the charismatic frontman of the well-named local combo Brilliant Mind.

THE HALF LIGHT - If You Come To Clapham [starts 46:17]
https://www.thehalflight.com
Another band I adored within ten seconds of hitting 'play', The Half Light are an unsigned 4 piece indie band from (as the song title suggests) South London. Since forming in summer 2011, they have released two records, Friday Night EP in late 2011, and the Clapham EP in October 2012. Both records and now available digitally. Their next gig is a hometown show tomorrow Tuesday December 18th at the George in Whitechapel, or you can see them - again in London - at the Bedford in Balham on January 7th.

SIMBAD FRESH - Latest Dose [starts 49:38]
https://www.facebook.com/simeon.ferguson
Recommended to us by Tom Simkins From BBC Introducing In Cambridgeshire, Latest Dose is by local artist Simbad Fresh - aka Simeon Ferguson: "Mum brought me Decks at age 11, DJ'd house and jungle from 12 -13, moved to DnB at 13 -14 and then aged 15-16 moved to Oldschool Garage and started performing around my home town Cambridge at The Junction, Fez Club etc. Had always MC'd/rapped and at 19 started on Grime/Hiphop. Since the age of 20, I've made a mixtape each year and about 24 tried DnB again. So I work with many differents styles of flow and creativity and am also a youth worker...."

JOHNNY KOWALSKI & THE SEXY WEIRDOS - Something Wonderful [starts 52:56]
https://www.sexyweirdos.co.uk/
A string of shows prior to Christmas and a headline show at the Wagon and Horses in Birmingham on New Year's Eve cap off a busy year for the Sexy Weirdos. The band is looking forward to returning to Europe in spring 2013, with plans to build on their reputation as festival band, road-test new tracks and find time to record a follow-up to this year's debut album, 'Victory for the Monsters'. I very much hope their upcoming plans include recording new songs that we can play on the radio without serious editing for language - though you can of course hear the original version of Something Wonderful in all its potty-mouthed glory via their website.

TIRED ARMS - Ursa Minor [starts 56:43]
https://www.facebook.com/tiredarms
Tired Arms are Evan Gildersleeve and Lawrence King, a London based production duo that formed in 2008. Earlier this year, their ethereal remix of Keaton Henson's 'You Don't Know How Lucky You Are' caught the attention of Zane Lowe and earned them airtime on his Radio 1 show. They've since released their self-titled debut EP - which subsequently entered Rough Trade's Top 10. 'Ursa Minor' is the first single from the release, with the duo are currently in the studio working on their album.

Joseph O'Keefe and Cole Stacey. Photographer: Neil Denham



In the small hours of a Monday morning from 2-3am you can hear a selection of my favourite new tunes compiled into an hour-long mixtape of nonstop music. All the audio is sourced from the BBC Introducing Uploader - some of it recommended by friends and colleagues and some discovered via Twitter and my own Fresh On The Net blog.

From 3am each Monday the latest mixtape is available free via the 6 Music Downloads Page - where you'll also find archived episodes from the previous 4 weeks. All the tracklists and start times for each track are published here - together with a link to each artist's website.

In addition, every Wednesday the mixtape is published on the BBC 6 Music Soundcloud page and added to this page midweek - along with more info about each of the artists. These are the listings for Monday, 10th December 2012

MARK MARRINGTON / MADEINMIDI - Cars [starts 0:13]
https://markmarrington.com
A quite brilliant sampled instrumental soundscape - technically and musically outstanding. It took me about 10 seconds from hitting "play" to earmarking this as a standout track to open this week's BBC Introducing Mixtape. On the other hand it must have taken electronic music composer Mark Marrington weeks of painstaking work to create this in the first place. Based in Hebden Bridge, his current project, MadeinMIDI aims to create a series of novelty pop tracks in search of the magic formula for the legendary yet elusive One-Hit-Wonder. Needless to say, this has taken Mark down some intriguing musical avenues but meanwhile, in order to subsist, he's a lecturer in electronic music production at the University of Leeds.

RETURN TO ALJUSTREL - Miserable Wonderful Lives [starts 03:22]
https://www.returntoaljustrel.co.uk
Another song I adored on first listen - straight in, no messing, inviting you into a musical adventure that’s all its own. The understated vocal sort of makes you expect a ballad but then it develops with a real tough edge. There’s contrasts of light/shade, loud/soft and even a Strawberry Fields slight return at the end, all packed into 3:46 without an ounce of fat. Simply a wonderful record, end of. The band was formed in 2005 by Simon Elvin, Rory Holl, and Luke Smith who wrote and recorded a demo album before going into a three year hiatus. This ended in Autumn 2008 when the band began practicing as a live act and releasing a debut album in May 2009. Various line-up changes were followed by their current second album Time Is Closing In.

ROSIE MAY - The Water Is Wide [starts 07:12]
https://rosiemaymusic.bandcamp.com
Eat your heart out, Alison Krauss. We normally give preference to original material here on BBC Introducing, but this famous traditional song (which even has its own Wikipedia entry) is just a killer, and this rendition is simply the best I’ve ever heard. Rosie May gets top marks for an astounding slice of close-harmony acapella. "Growing up in the tranquillity of Somerset," she says, "I began making music at age 13. Then at 18 I moved to London to jump head-first into the folk music scene - but returned a few years later to the countryside where I could really focus on writing." There she formed a band who have released an aquatic-themed EP on Bandcamp called Too Far To Swim - from which this track is taken. Watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM0iUUkkYRA

STRAW BEAR - Kitty [starts 08:33]
https://www.strawbear.com
Straw Bear formed, they proclaim, "slowly over a number of years, like sedimentary rock or a bad habit". Taking their name from the Whittlesey Straw Bear festival, the first event in the pagan calendar, founding members Ian and Chris began tinkering around with songs in their native Cambridgeshire and over the next few years Tom, Pas and Cate were recruited. This understated gem comes from Straw Bear’s album Black Bank - recorded at an isolated studio near Ely with Chris Taylor of The Bays - and duly reflecting the eerie atmosphere of the East Anglian fenlands. The band’s unconventional approach to subject matter sees them raging at noisily oversexed urban foxes, travelling in steampunk landscapes and moaning about Those People In London. Hurrah!

COLE STACEY & JOSEPH O’KEEFE - Without Lisa [starts 11:44]
https://colestacey-josephokeefe.bandcamp.com
Described as "An impassioned and ambitious songwriter" by Steve Knightley from Show Of Hands (who knows about such things), Cole Stacey hails from Devon, England and his impressive CV of high profile live appearances includes a joint tour with folk legend Chris Woods of The Imagined Village fame. Joe O’Keefe is a violinist, pianist and guitarist who graduated with a Masters in mathematics from Cambridge, and holds performance diplomas in violin and piano with distinction. The duo have just played a series of headline UK shows with multi-instrumentalist Joseph O’Keefe to promote their newly released joint album On Hire which came out last month and can be purchased from their Bandcamp page. Their next series of joint live dates will be in the UK and Germany in March/April 2013.

EMPOP - The Garden [starts 14:24]
https://www.empop.co.uk
A protégée of Gareth Lloyd from BBC Introducing in Beds, Herts & Bucks, Emily Brothers aka Empop is, she says "a singer, songwriter, musician, producer and recording studio owner/manager". Having started out singing, playing, writing, recording, editing, producing and mixing everything myself herself, she recently recorded her debut album with Brit Award Winning producer Simon Ellis. "Music has got too serious" says Emma, "let's put some fun back into it with some Empop". She's been as good as her word with her new seasonal video for Santa Baby at https://youtube.com/watch?v=vAEPjq4G42w

THE LUNAR PILOTS - High As The Stars [starts 18:12]
https://www.thelunarpilots.com
The Lunar Pilots are an alternative Rock/Pop band from Essex. They recently recorded their debut album Point Of No Return at Monmouth's famous Rockfield Studios with producer Steve Orchard and tell us it's "set to be launched into orbit in early 2013". This track proved highly popular with readers at my Fresh On The Net blog, where it was very favourably reviewed by our Madrid correspondent Mar De Miguel. Key question for the band at the moment is which track should be their debut single next year. They'd very much like you to listen to the contenders and share your opinion with them at https://facebook.com/thelunarpilots

THE MINISTER’S CAT - We Built A Ship [starts 21:31]
https://facebook.com/TheMinistersCat
This Leith-based duo of Steven Smith & Alison Tod are both classically trained musicians who studied at the Ian Tomlin Academy of Music in Edinburgh. However, they really bonded musically whilst running an open mic night in the city, fusing Alison's flamenco guitar inspired instrumentals, with Steven's quirky song-writing style. After sucessfully getting through to the semi-finals of Open Mic UK competition at the end of 2011, they have developed their collective sound to establish a unique place for themselves in the local music scene.

PALMS & PELICANS - Float [starts 25:05]
https://www.facebook.com/palmsandpelicans
Palms And Pelicans are, they tell us, a four-piece male and female fronted band, hailing from the Middle of Nowhere (known to their fellow residents as the village of Hordle in The New Forest). "No one knows quite how to label our sound and we’re not even sure ourselves...you can call us what you wish. This is their debut release Float which has already been supported by BBC Introducing in Sussex, Surrey and Solent - not to mention Amazing Radio, Pure FM, Crush Radio, Hope FM and Voice FM. The band are currently recording their debut EP with producer Nathan Thomas and you can catch them live at On The Rocks in Bournemouth a week on Wednesday: December 19th, 2012.

PORT ERIN - Hold On [starts 28:05]
https://www.facebook.com/porterinmusic
Inspired by the likes of Prefab Sprout, Talking Heads, Ataxia and Elbow the West Country trio Port Erin formed in 2007 and have since played over 300 shows including Glastonbury Festival 2010 / 2011, BBC Wiltshire Introducing live sessions - and indeed been featured on my 6 Music Introducing shows over the years. They returned to the live circuit this autumn to promote their new sophomore album Wheel Inside A Wheel - which was recorded at Real World Studios with producer Marco Migliari. Regretfully their last few live shows this year have unavoidably had to be cancelled, but we wish them all the best for 2013.

THE PAPER SHADES - Friend Or Foe [starts 31:11]
https://www.thepapershades.co.uk
Sarah Dollar and Jon Rixon are, they tell us, a male/female duo from the South - specifically between Basingstoke & Newbury. They've known each other for ten years but only formed the band three years ago once they had started writing their own material. This track Friend Or Foe is the closing song on their selfreleased second EP Where You Lay. Since then this talented and personable duo have been busy drinking tea and working on new songs and release a new single called The Storn in just over a week's time on December 18th.

SOCIAL MANIFESTO - The Drive [starts 34:25]
https://www.facebook.com/socialmanifesto
Social Manifesto is the solo project of Kevin "K Rawk" Thompson and aims to provide "a voice for the voiceless - members of our society that may not normally be heard". On his Facebook page he declares: "THE PAIN THAT I HIDE INSIDE WILL NEVER LIVE AND NEVER DIE, THE HATE THAT IS IN MY HEART WILL NEVER WILT OR FALL APART, BUT SOME WHERE INSIDE I ENJOY THESE THINGS, CAUSE PAIN AND HATE TAUGHT ME TO SING, EVEN WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS WORTH NOTHING, SO IN PAIN AND HATE I DO REJOICE, I WILL ALWAYS EXPRESS THIS THROUGH MY VOICE, I BLAME MYSELF FOR IT IS MY CHOICE, MUSIC IS MY PAIN."

WEIRD NAKED INDIAN - Safe - [starts 38:00]
https://www.facebook.com/wnifan
Weird Naked Indian are the alternative, acoustic rock trio of David Dale, Conor Doig and David Holland from the Steel City of Santo (San) Portablo in South Wales. Having formed one summer, not so many years ago, they were commissioned by Michael Sheen to write the anthem 'Home Is Where The Heart Is' for his legendary production of 'The Passion' in their hometown (known to the wider world as Port Talbot). This track Safe comes from their debut EP Weird Naked Indian Summer - released in July - from which I also warmly recommend their song The Ballad Of Ron Evans.

THE PREDECIMALS - What Do You Talk About [starts 41:00]
https://www.thepredecimals.co.uk
Immaculate playing and production - plus possibly the best guitar solo you’ll hear all year.
Having started out in 2008 as a four-piece folk outfit and subsequently morphed into a one-man pop-rock-jazz studio project, The Predecimals project has changed beyond recognition since its early origins. Admittedly there's still Rob Bray's songs and voice, an emphasis on smartass lyrics and memorable melodies. And - perhaps most importantly of all - a dogged refusal to take any of it too seriously. Ron lists his Band Interests on Facebook as "Cider, bicycles, girls in flowery dresses dancing on straw, good manners, the seaside."

DAVE DARK AND THE SHARKS - Pale Blue Dot [starts 46:49]
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dave-Dark-and-the-Sharks/29193291899
The elusive Dave Dark is, we're told "currently studying Tantric Dentistry at Aberystwyth University". Like Dame Edna Everage, Dave usually communicates with the world through the mouth piece of his manager, in this case Rich Wilde. Like me, BBC Radio legend Rob Da Bank is a longstanding fan of DDATS and has not only featured tracks such as "I've Resigned" and "Jule Andrews!" but even played played the currently unreleased "Large Hadron Kaleidoscope" which now has a lyric and vocal kindly provided by Peter Godwin. Live gigs are a bit thin on the ground due to the existential paradox of Dave's status as a fundamentally fictitious character.

SATURDAY SUN - Peaked [starts 50:48]
https://www.saturdaysunmusic.co.uk
Saturday Sun formed two years ago in Swanage. So what can we tell you about them from their website? Erm: "The pitches shifted, the wraps of anticipation had almost suffocated the bubbles below. The cities stood tall but in a backdrop on broken structures, the molecules of water became broken, a far cry from the crystalline structures of 14 billion years of cosmic dance. To see was to see. Nothing more. And what was seen was accounted to for what was shown upon. The unambiguous world. Slowly what was seen in the mirror knew it resided within those around, like the swaying mangroves searching for the coolest of waters. How could anybody be sure......they couldn't. So time passed for those that accounted it, a personal habbit on the planetary system, shame about no doctors being available! Then it popped and the shell broke. Of which was left stayed where it always resided." Hmmm. See How To Write A Band Biog.

THE WATERMELONS - Dance Strange Together [starts 56:04]
https://facebook.com/TheWatermelonsUK
The Watermelons describe themselves as an "indie pop group emerging from Chichester, West Sussex: Four young lads that bring energy, diversity and distinction into their genre." Fronted by vocalist Toby Field they have a history on recording on the best equipment they can get hold of for the most affordable amount of money - which, the last time we heard from them, was an ancient Boss 8 track recording deck. We do it all ourselves" they say "…and enjoy it." Better Together comes from their 6-track EP released in May this year, and they play a pre-Christmas hometown gig at La Havana on December 22nd.

Stuart Warwick: promo pic



In the small hours of a Monday morning from 2-3am you can hear a selection of my favourite new tunes compiled into an hour-long mixtape of nonstop music. All the audio is sourced from the BBC Introducing Uploader - some of it recommended by friends and colleagues and some discovered via Twitter and my own Fresh On The Net blog.

As each show ends at 3am, it becomes available free from the 6 Music Downloads Page - along with archived episodes from the previous four weeks. At the same time the tracklists and start times for each song are published here together with a link to each artist's website. Every Wednesday we then add artist notes and embed the audio for that week's mixtape on this page. This is the tracklist for Monday, 3rd December 2012.

BROMHEADS - Holding The Gun [starts 00:00]
https://www.bromheads.tv
To me, this an object lesson in tight, economical songwriting and playing. The whole recording is crisp, focused and bang on the money – without an ounce of fat on it anywhere. The band (and above all the singer) take no prisoners, yet without sounding like they’re trying too hard either. The track an object lesson in how to get in there from the get-go, grab your listeners, smack em round the ears like a large orange Tango man in a loincloth, and then sod off again quick before anyone realises what’s been done to them. It may not be the most delicate, subtle or innovative piece of music you’ll hear all year, but for my money it’s The Real Deal: sharp, authentic – and it was a complete no-brainer for the Introducing Mixtape this week. They’re touring next year, starting at the Rainbow in Birmingham on April 13

STUART WARWICK - Sailors [starts 02:37]
https://www.stuartwarwick.com
Stuart Warwick is a writer and artist, but when engaged in neither of these pursuits he likes to entertain small crowds in dimly lit venues with his blend of dark melancholic pop. Over the past decade, Stuart has released many albums and EP's under the guise ‘Jacob’s Stories’. His latest album is ‘The Ordeal’ was released under his own. This is the first single to be taken from his new album, The Butcher’s Voice.

JON KENNEDY - Live My Life [starts 05:54]
https://www.jonkennedy.co.uk/
Jon has remixed over 20 artists – from Barclay James Harvest, Bonobo, Quantic and Piblokto, and also reworked the soundtrack from classic cult film 'Withnail & I'. He remains prolific, with 12 remixes being completed in 2012. He’s also fond of touring as a D, heading as far afield as China, Japan, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Malaysia and Russia. Indeed, come December 8th, you’ll find him in Kuplung in Budapest.

ROBOT ALIEN - A Little Love [starts 08:39]
https://www.facebook.com/robotandalien
This lot are clearly publicity-shy, telling us nothing more about themselves than the fact they ‘make a lot of noise’. It’s a noise we rather like, but that’s all I have to offer, I’m afraid, due to the lack of information they provide.

APOLLO JUNCTION - Here Come The Zombies [starts 10:37]
https://www.apollojunction.com/
Founded in Leeds and London in 2011, Apollo Junction have supported the likes of Cage the Elephant, The Hoosiers, Dizzie Rascal and Calvin Harris. In addition to some great music, there’s plenty to discover about them online, including a seemingly decadent trip to Paris.

SCARLETT PARADE - March Of The Fallen [starts 13:26]
https://www.scarlettparade.com
Readers of my blog at Fresh On The Net simply adored March Of The Fallen by Scarlett Parade as soon as they laid ears on it - almost half of them rated this startling vocal-led ballad in their Top Five. Rather than grabbing us by the throat or slapping us round the face, the charismatic vocals of Geoffrey Tinkler gently take us by the hand – Blue Nile fashion – and lead us off into the atmospheric soundscape of this elegaic number. Their self-titled debut EP is due for official release in November 2012, but in fact can already be heard on their Soundcloud. The fact that all of their tunes have racked up hundreds of plays speaks for itself. Geoffrey, along with fellow founding member Adam Jones is originally from the Isle Of Man, and the pair formed Scarlett Parade in London earlier this year. The band has a series of shows in and around the capital during November - for the full list plus a comprehensive biog, see their website. Their self-titled debut EP was officially released in November.

MECHANICAL ELEPHANT - Come Down [starts 15:47]
https://mechanicalelephant.com/
Founded in September, Mechanical Elephant are relative newcomers to the music scene, but have already captured the imagination with what they describe as ‘a blend of ambient soundscapes, electronic textures, vocal manipulation combined with hard-hitting beats’. This is from their album, Seven Days of Sound, which is available as a free download from their Bandcamp page.

FLUTES - Auld Archie [starts 18:29]
https://soundcloud.com/uptheflutes
This is the first single from The Flutes self-titled debut album, which is out later this month. If you want to see them live, head to the Water Rats in London on December 6th, or Nice and Sleazy in Glasgow on December 14th.

SUPER BEST FRIENDS CLUB - So Am I Me Too? [starts 22:58]
https://superbestfriendsclub.co.uk
From West London, Super Best Friends Club are Jonah, Max, Vaughn, Sam, Jordan, James, Josh and Sean. They are variously musicians, film makers, yoga teachers and Alexander technique practitioners. This single is hot off the press, having been released yesterday, and they launched it in style at the Total Refreshment Centre in North London on Saturday.

SYD ARTHUR - Moving World [starts 25:43]
https://www.sydarthur.co.uk/
Syd Arthur are a Canterbury-based quartet, greatly inspired by the sonic pioneers of the late 60s and early 70s. They have patiently learned how to engineer, produce and mix themselves, using an innovative hybrid of analogue and digital techniques, creating their own studio space (Wicker Studios) and record label (Dawn Chorus Recording Company). The band’s intricate, high-energy live sets, which to date include Glastonbury and Secret Garden slots, have built in a large following – and one that is also burgeoning in Europe as they continue to pick up gigs in France, Belgium and most recently Italy. Indeed, their next gig is at the Melkweg in Amsterdam on December 18th, where they’ll no doubt be showcasing tracks from their most recent album, On and On.

GLASS DIAMOND - Lucinda [starts 29:45]
https://www.facebook.com/aGlassDiamond
Glass Diamond are an electric duo lead by Taiwanese girl, Hsin, and west London environment engineer Jamie Smith. While their first few years was all about electro heavy arrangements, 2012 has been about slow motion synths with acoustic deep drums. Or so they say. They've shared stages with the likes of Gary Numan, The Whip, Caspa, Gold Panda, and played venues like Koko and the 02 Academy in Birmingham. This particular single was released earlier this month.

OLDTRAMP - Kiss My Arse [starts 32:50]
https://soundcloud.com/oldtramp
Kiss My Arse is one of four tracks we could find by Old Tramp, who tell us little more about themselves other than the fact they are easily distracted and have no-fixed abode. Perhaps the best way to glean some insight is to follow them on twitter @oldtrampmusic.

FIFTEEN DAYS - Troubles Heart [starts 36:10]
https://www.facebook.com/fifteendays
Troubles Heart is taken from the 5 track EP "These Ghosts", which was recording in London this year and is now available as a promo CD and download. The EP is the work of Darren Plant, who has already garnered considerable attention on this network and elsewhere.

REHEARSEDLIVING - Miles [starts 39:26]
https://soundcloud.com/rehearsedliving
Rehearsed Living are an unsigned band from Sheffield, who formed in late 2010. It’s not the first time we’ve played the work of Steven Jones, Simon Jones and Ruth Davies, with Radio Sheffield and Amazing Radio also championing the cause. Everything the write is available for free via SoundCloud.

SLY HORSE - Shotty Beach [starts 43:23]
https://slyhorse.bandcamp.com/
Rehearsed Living are an unsigned band from Sheffield, who formed in late 2010. It’s not the first time we’ve played the work of Steven Jones, Simon Jones and Ruth Davies, with Radio Sheffield and Amazing Radio also championing the cause. Everything the write is available for free via Soundcloud.

THE SOUND OF THE LADIES - Retrospectively [starts 47:51]
https://thesoundoftheladies.com

GREAT DEEDS - Blueprint [starts 51:38]
https://www.greatdeeds.co.uk/
Great Deeds are a mathy punk band from Sheffield. As they point out, it's basically still punk – just in 7/8. They are Chris, Tom and Ben, and their album is available to download from their website.

AMY SPENCER - Cold Cry [starts 54:18]
https://soundcloud.com/amyspencermusic
Originally from Gloucestershire, Amy is now living in London. She studied Popular Music at Goldsmith’s College, and is hoping to record a new E.P by Christmas. The only confirmed gig we know of is at the world-renowned Troubadour in February, although hopefully she’ll be on stage again before then.

T. E. YATES - A Friend In Need [starts 58:24]
https://www.teyates.com
Tom Yates - vocals, guitar, mandolin, ukulele, harmonica – is a multi-instrumentalist and artist whose prints can be found in cafes and bars all across the Northwest. He is, more specifically, Manchester-based.